GENETICS, ANYONE??

There's nothing in the world more harrowing than to watch someone suffer unsafe in the knowledge that a few decades down the line, that person could be you...

My mother is a healthcare freak. Every India trip she makes is invariably inundated with trips to specialists from every conceivable discipline for the most miniscule maladies. I loathe these 'charity trips' and tend to think of them as voluntary donations to the running of the doctor's household.. What follows is the whole rigmarole of tests,tests and the "Everything's alright"..

Thus, it surprised me when one such routine resulted in findings that signalled the possible onset of cancer in her, something that merited immediate surgery. She had severe heartburn due to acid reflux from the stomach. The operation: Laparoscopic Fundoplication, a supposedly minor procedure with an intimidating name(took me 3 readings to get the name), the first time I was to bear witness to surgery of any kind. Surprisingly, I managed to keep my cool throughout the 2-hour long procedure..

The most unnerving portion of the ordeal was undoubtedly the just-post-operation part, with my mom, unaware of the tube inserted into her, bellowing "I am not OK!!" and "I can't breathe!!". She then proceeded to lapse into normalcy and shake off the xylocaine anaesthetic..

Just when everything seemed to be alright, I felt a burning sensation in my chest.......